Now Commenting On:

Cardinals to slow pace of Carpenter's recovery

Email

Print

By Jenifer Langosch
/
MLB.com |

LOS ANGELES -- The Cardinals have decided to slow down Chris Carpenter's throwing program after the right-hander did not respond as well as hoped after throwing about 80 pitches during a bullpen session on Thursday.

The change of plans means that Carpenter is no longer scheduled to face hitters during live batting practice on Tuesday. Instead, he will continue to work his arm through long toss and bullpen sessions.

"He's been working fast and last time didn't feel as good," manager Mike Matheny said. "The first few times [he threw off the mound] it was like, 'I feel great. I feel great.' Then this time, it was like, 'I feel like I've done more work.' That's just an [indication] that we need to slow down a little bit."

This setback is not comparable to the one that Carpenter dealt with in early February, when numbness and discoloration in his arm forced Carpenter to shut down. This new issue was described as soreness resulting from Carpenter's attempt to push himself through his throwing program as quickly as possible.